Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provided adequate depiction of carpal soft tissue structures in normal volunteers, as well as accurate anatomic correlation with cadaveric specimens. Using a high field strength system and surface coil techniques, the intricate anatomy of the wrist was best defined on long TR short TE images. However, from a practical view, T1 weighted images (TR 600 ms, TE 25 ms) were most useful because of short imaging times, satisfactory image quality, and the absence of motion artifacts. The coronal plane provided the clearest definition of important structures. Potential diagnostic limitations exist due to the inability of MRI to clearly delineate articular cartilage, joint capsules, and small interosseous ligaments. The presence of intra-articular fluid in both living subjects and cadaveric specimens, however, allowed for fine depiction of these structures on T2 weighted images.